


a friendship pact

by sxftmelody



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, a switcheroo where betty is the new girl in veronica's school at ny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-25 18:22:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9837791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sxftmelody/pseuds/sxftmelody
Summary: In which Betty Cooper moves to New York and is the new girl at Veronica Lodge's school.





	

**Author's Note:**

> this is just a quick thing i did because i know i won't be able to handle a full-length fic on these two. this idea has been stuck in my head ever since i started watching the show lol

Betty Cooper has never been ‘the new girl’. She’s grown up in Riverdale all her life known as ‘The Crazy Girl’s Sister’ and she was so sure that she’d grow old and die in that town but when her father gets a new job in the city, her world is tossed and turned in a way she once thought was impossible for a small-town girl like her.

 

—

  
  


Betty’s first thought when she enters the school is  _ she does  _ **_not_ ** _ belong here _ . Of course, New York is nothing like Riverdale, but Betty at least  _ thought _ she could get used to New York. Now that she’s here? She’s not too sure.

 

Her tour guide seems nice enough but she smacks her gum much too noisily and seems to rush through giving Betty her tour. 

 

(Gosh, might as well just  _ not _ give her a tour if it’s going to be as crappy as this one.)

 

“And this is your first class. Have fun.” the guide leaves after handing Betty a thick packet—the student handbook—and a map of the school. Betty takes a deep breath and stares at her schedule, looking at the first class on it.

 

Chemistry.

 

—

 

All is fine and dandy with Betty having to introduce herself for about the fifth time that day but then lunchtime rolls around and she contemplates on whether she should actually go to lunch or hide in a bathroom stall.

  
  


She ultimately decides to go to lunch. 

 

Her mistake. 

  
  


She enters the cafeteria later than everyone else, which means everyone is already sitting down at their usual tables and it hits her that she’s the new girl and she doesn’t know anyone and no one invites her to their table and—

 

Her eyes lock on with a brunette sitting at a table at the very back of the cafeteria; where it seems all the loud/popular/loud and popular people are at. Betty looks away as quick as she met the girl’s eyes and is relieved when she spots the guidance counselor walking towards her.

 

She picks up an easy conversation with him, talking about how her day has been so far, but she can feel the raven-haired girl  _ staring _ . It may just be her being her paranoid self, but Betty swears she’s still looking. She takes a quick peek towards the girl’s direction and connects eyes with the stranger once more.

 

When they lock eyes again, Betty swears she sees the faintest ghost of a smirk, the stranger’s red lips curving up just the slightest bit. She looks away with pink cheeks and follows the guidance counselor as he offers to help find Betty an open seat.

 

It’s horrible when there’s a sharp voice that rings out from the way back of the cafeteria;  _ her _ .

 

“Mr. Jay! She can sit with us!”

 

The cafeteria goes dead silent (Betty’s dramatic) for a few seconds.

 

“ _ That _ is Ms. Veronica Lodge.” the guidance counselor says, walking towards their table. Betty feels all eyes on her as she follows after him. “You wouldn’t mind sitting with her, would you?”

 

_ Yes, I  _ **_would_ ** _ mind, actually. _

 

“No, it’s fine.” Betty smiles politely just before they reach the table. 

 

The guidance counselor greets all of the table’s occupants; Betty notes how friendly he is to all of them, as if he himself was a student.

 

“This is Betty Cooper.” Mr. Jay gestures to the blonde girl and Betty just lowers her head in a weak attempt of a nod. 

 

“Veronica Lodge.” the raven-haired girl says, chin tilted up and eyes twinkling. The girl’s facial features are soft but sharp in just the right places. It’s intimidating how pretty she is—and her oozing confidence does  _ not  _ help make Betty comfortable.

 

Betty gulps and the other people at the table all say their names in introduction except Betty isn’t listening because Veronica is  _ still _ staring at her and her face feels hot—she swears she’s as pink as a newborn baby pig. When the introductions are over, Mr. Jay says goodbye to Betty and she almost grabs his arm to stop him from going but knows that she’s not  _ that  _ desperate.

 

The table goes back to whatever conversation they were having before Betty arrived, which she is thankful for. Veronica nudges one of the boys to move into an empty seat before patting the chair next to her’s with an expectant smile. Betty awkwardly shuffles and sits next to Veronica.

 

“Where are you from, Betty?” Veronica asks sweetly, tilting her head in the same curious manner a puppy would do. 

 

“Riverdale.” Betty answers.

 

“Never heard of it.” Veronica shakes her head slowly as she says this, gauging Betty’s reaction.

 

Betty smiles and shrugs. “I don’t blame you.”

 

Veronica smiles widely at this, as if she’d just won the lottery. 

 

“Let’s be friends, Betty Cooper.” 

 

—

 

They don’t actually become friends. 

  
  


Veronica invites Betty to the football game that night only to showcase how much of a loner the new girl is. Betty remembers the look of pure amusement in Veronica’s eyes, remembers the shrill laughs of her teammates. She cries when she goes home that night because it’s only been one day and she hates her new school.

  
  


She should’ve seen it coming, though. Nobody of Veronica’s status had any use for someone like her but Betty still gave her the benefit of the doubt.

 

Safe to say, Betty ignores everyone at her school and just hopes the next few years of high school go by quick.

 

The first couple of weeks fly by and then the big news about the girl who made Betty cry her first day at school drops.

 

“DId you hear about Veronica’s dad? He stole a bunch of money and he’s in jail now.”

 

Betty holds off on closing her locker because, yes, she’s eavesdropping.

 

“Makes sense. He’s about as much of a snake as she is.” 

 

The two gossipers walk past Betty and she closes her locker, not knowing how to feel about the news.

 

In fact, she shouldn’t feel  _ anything _ about the news—that girl was a total  _ jerk _ to Betty!

  
  
  
  
  


So then, why, when Betty spots Veronica getting denied a seat at her usual table, does her heart ache?

 

—

 

Betty walks into the bathroom but stops mid-way to the sink when she spots none other than Veronica Lodge coming out of one of the stalls, wiping at her tear-stained cheeks. Betty isn’t sure why she stays frozen as if Veronica’s a freaking tyrannosaurus rex who can’t see her if she doesn’t move, but she freezes.

 

Veronica notices her and her eyes widen the tiniest bit before she composes herself. There’s the stain of chocolate milk on Veronica’s white blouse as well as her face.

 

“Betty.” she says in acknowledgement, words more confident than her demeanor. She continued towards the sink and Betty snaps out of it when she sees the sticky note on Veronica’s back. 

 

Betty rolls her eyes at the immaturity of others—are they in middle school again?—and walks up to Veronica.

 

“You have a sticky note on your back.” Betty tells her quietly.

 

Veronica startles, not thinking Betty would talk to her, and reaches behind to grab for the note. After Veronica’s small hands fail to successfully get the note multiple times, the raven-haired girl sighs and looks over her shoulder.

 

“Could you…?” she trails off, motioning vaguely to her back.

 

“Yeah.” Betty says, a little rushed, and she takes the note off. She reads the comment on it quickly and decides to crumple it in her fist as soon as she takes it off so Veronica wouldn’t have to read it, tossing it into the trash.

 

Veronica turns the sink on and grabs a paper towel, wetting it and wiping at the milk on her face.

 

“What’d it say?” Veronica asks as she wipes her neck. “The note.”

 

Betty shakes her head. “Just something mean.”

 

“You can tell me, I won’t break.” Veronica smiles bitterly, tossing the paper into the trashcan. “Besides, it’s not like I was very nice to you.”

 

“It was an insult about your mother.” Betty answers.

 

Veronica lets out another deep breath and looks up towards the ceiling, closing her eyes momentarily. Betty spots another chocolate milk stain on Veronica’s jaw and she reaches for the paper towel dispenser. She hands the towel to Veronica.

 

“You have…” Betty touches her own jaw in the spot where the stain was on Veronica.

 

Veronica takes the towel, wets it, and wipes at the area. “Is it gone?”

 

“Yeah.” Betty nods.

 

Veronica then glances down at her stained blouse, a look of aggravation washing over her face for a split second before she smiles a fake smile. 

 

“Chocolate milk just isn’t in style yet.” she jokes, trying to lighten the mood. Betty isn’t sure whether she wants to laugh or not at it, not when Veronica looks so pathetically sad. It’s a vast contrast to the confident girl Betty met on her first day.

 

Betty unzips her sweater and hands it to Veronica, who stares at her like she has an extra eye.

 

“Take it.” Betty shakes the hand holding her sweater, raises her eyebrows.

 

Veronica leans her weight on one foot and crosses her arms over her chest. “Why?”

 

“What?”

 

“Why are you being so nice?” Veronica questions, narrowing her eyes. “I was a total bitch to you two weeks ago.”

 

“It’s a  _ sweater _ not a friendship pact.” Betty says, still holding out her sweater. 

 

“Do you want something in return?”

 

“No,  _ Veronica _ .” Betty sighs exasperatedly, having half the nerve to just leave and not lend Veronica her sweater. “Believe it or not, I’m doing this to be kind because I’m a  _ kind person _ .”

 

Veronica hesitantly takes Betty’s sweater, slipping it on. “Thanks, then. I’ll return it to you tomorrow.”

 

Betty nods and their conversation (if it was even going to continue) is cut short as the bell rings, indicating the end of lunch.

 

“You should hurry and leave.” Veronica says. “The… team likes to hang out in the bathroom after lunch, so—”

 

“Well, well, well… What do we have here?”

 

“Oh, great.” Veronica rolls her eyes, jaw locking and tightening. Betty turns around and spots four girls walking into the bathroom. Betty doesn’t remember any of their names.

 

“Hey, Veronica. How’s your mom doing?”

 

“Don’t talk about my mom.” Veronica says, loud and clear. For such a small girl she sure packs a helluva’lot of punch. “Thanks for the chocolate milk makeover, by the way. Real original.”

 

“You want a different type of makeover, Veronica?” the brunette who seems to be ‘in charge’ steps up.

 

Betty isn’t sure what comes over her, but she protectively steps in front of Veronica. 

 

“Look, just back off, alright?”

 

“ _ Betty _ .” Veronica whispers in the ‘what the hell are you doing?’ type of tone.

 

“And who the hell are you?” the brunette asks in disbelief. 

 

“Just someone who wants to go to class without being late because I actually care about my education.” Betty replies snarkily and Veronica’s eyebrows shoot up in pleasant surprise. “You’re all in the way.”

 

The brunette scoffs but steps aside, much to Veronica’s delight. Betty reaches behind her blindly and grabs hold of Veronica’s hand (she was hoping she’d grab her wrist), dragging her out of the bathroom with her.

 

When they’re in the hallway, Veronica whistles.

 

“Didn’t know you had it in you, B.”

 

“Me neither.” Betty murmurs before remembering she’s still holding hands with Veronica and quickly letting her go. 

 

“Thanks for that, though.” Veronica says, nudging Betty’s shoulder with her own as they both head to Chemistry class. “It would’ve been hard trying to hide scratch marks on my face from my mother.”

 

“It was nothing.”

 

“No, Betty Cooper.” Veronica hums. “It was something.”

 

Betty looks away shyly.

 

“Hey.” Veronica says after a moment. “How about we really become friends? No ulterior bitch move this time, I swear.”

 

Betty nearly trips over her own feet. “Why?”

 

“Because…” Veronica exhales slowly. “Because we’re both loners now, aren’t we? Me, the outcasted cheerleader with the criminal father. You, the new girl from some small town no one knows about.”

 

“Quite the pair.” Betty mumbles.

 

Veronica laughs and nudges Betty’s shoulder again.

 

“What do you say?”

 

Betty glances towards Veronica, notices a never-before seen emotion in her eyes; nervousness—and then nods.

 

“Fine, Veronica.” she says. “We can really become friends.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> might post a second part. who knows? definitely not me


End file.
